


Feeding Barry

by canthelpmyselves



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: M/M, Secret Relationship, Using Food to Signify Acceptance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-07-14 13:36:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16041530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canthelpmyselves/pseuds/canthelpmyselves
Summary: The Rogues seem to take issue with Barry's eating habits.





	Feeding Barry

“Don’t you dare!”

Barry jumped and almost dropped his burrito. He spun and jumped a second time as Mick Rory stomped up to him and grabbed the food out of his hand. “Hey!” Barry yelled, momentarily distracted from the fact that one of his (or rather the Flash’s) biggest enemies has just approached him in a public park.

Rory shot him a glare as he tossed the food into a trash can. “You are not putting that shit in your mouth!”

Barry’s jaw dropped. “What are you? The food police?”

“Yes,” Rory growled. “That shit will kill you.”

“I eat here like five times a week!” Barry objected.

Rory shoved a plastic container into Barry’s hands roughly so that he could grab Barry’s shoulders and force him to move further away from the food stand. “Not anymore, kid! And if I see you at that stand again, I’ll set your ass on fire even more than that monstrosity pretending to be digestible would!”

Barry watched Rory stomp off through the park, his mind spinning. Did he really just get chastised by Heatwave over his eating habits? Barry resumed walking back to the precinct, his stomach rumbling, but already too late to get anything else. When he got to his lab he realized he was still holding Rory's container. He pried the lid off and almost dropped it when he saw the contents. Steamed rice, beef strips in some kind of fragrant sauce, and buttered asparagus tips filled the compartments. 

Barry debated for almost twenty seconds before grabbing a plastic fork from his desk and digging in. Rory threw away his food, it was only fair he eats Rory’s meal. Right?

***

“Per l'amor del cielo!”

Barry almost choked on his bite of chili cheese fries as Hartley Rathaway snatched the little paper bowl out of his hands and tossed it on a table. “Wha…?!”

Hartley rolled his eyes and threaded Barry’s left arm through his before practically dragging him out of the food court. “I take gastrointestinal health very serious, honey. Eating that filth takes years off your life.”

The next thing Barry knew, they were sitting in a small diner across the street from the mall. A perky waitress bounced over and smiled way too cheerfully for Barry’s state of mind. “Hi, Mr. Rathaway!” she chirped. “Your usual?”

“And a second serving for my associate,” he said smugly.

Barry stared at the Rogue with wary confusion. “Technically this is kidnapping.”

Hartley snorted as he removed his glasses and cleaned them. “I’m saving your life. You have no idea how unsanitary that food kiosk is. I’ve read the health inspectors reports. It’s been shut down 8 times in two years.”

“But I like chili cheese fries,” Barry whined, his stomach clenching as if it was about to start eating itself. 

“You’ll like this more,” Hartley insisted.

Ten minutes later Barry was moaning loudly as he swallowed the chicken kiev and scalloped potatoes. Hartley was silently smug as he enjoyed his own food. They ate in relative silence, except for the, frankly, lewd sounds Barry made with each bite.

When the food was gone Hartley stood and dropped some money on the table. Then he left without so much as a goodbye. Barry stayed and had a second piece of peach pie.

***

Barry was standing in the cereal aisle trying to decide between Froot Loops and Captain Crunch Berries when both boxes were slapped out of his hands. He opened his mouth to snap at his assailant only to find himself staring at Mark Mardon in shock.

“If you have to eat crap, at least eat crap that won’t give you diabetes!” the meta growled. He shoved a box of cereal into Barry’s hands and stalked off.

Barry looked down at the box, still speechless. Quaker Real Grains Peach Apple Walnut Multigrain Cereal? He likes peaches. And apples. After a moment Barry shrugged his shoulders and put the box in his cart. Now, what flavor Ben and Jerry’s does he want?

***

Barry groaned as Caitlin handed him one of Cisco’s energy bars with a pointed look. It wasn’t his fault his blood sugar was down! He’d like to see her work ten hours in a short-staffed lab, then spend two more hours chasing identical triplet metas around Central before they could successfully bomb several churches! 

He eyed the torture device...um, energy bar, with distaste. He hated the chalky, cardboard taste they always left on his tongue. Seeing Caitlin begin to tap her foot in irritation, he took a small bite and gave her a weak smile. 

Then the taste hit him. 

“Oh god!” Barry groaned before shoving the rest of the bar into his mouth. “Holy crap! These are good!”

Cisco smiled smugly. “Thank you.”

“I taste bananas! And plums!” Barry held out grabby hands for another, wiggling his fingers impatiently. “Cisco, my man, you have outdone yourself with these!”

Cisco smiled even wider as he handed Barry a second one. “Well, I can’t take all the credit. I had a little help.”

Barry turned to Caitlin quickly. “I didn’t know you could bake!”

“Not me,” she said, shaking her head, looking to Cisco for an explanation.

Cisco blushed and chewed on his bottom lip. “Um, actually, it was Lisa Snart.”

Barry swallowed quickly, eyes going wide. Caitlin looked at Cisco as if he had grown another head suddenly. “What?” they both exclaimed.

Cisco flinched and his shoulders hunched. “Well, she came to see me last week. Brought me brownies. You know, just to say thanks for saving her brother from the time stream.”

“She didn’t thank me,” Barry smirked, happy that his friend was finally getting somewhere with his dream girl.

Cisco blushed more. “Anyway,” he stressed, “I had just finished making some bars and she tried one. She called them crap and tossed them out. I told her they were for you and she asked when we became enemies. Then she began tweeking the recipe.”

Barry finished a third bar and sighed happily. “I think I love Lisa.”

“Hey!” Cisco yelled.

Barry snorted and hopped off the table. He sped out of the Flash suit and into his regular clothes before realizing something. “Wait,” he said cautiously. “Did Lisa know those were for me or for the Flash?”

Cisco shrugged. “You. I never would have told her the Flash has hypoglycemia. Why?”

Barry quickly ran through everything that had happened over the last week. Taken individually, it was pretty random and innocent. Put together, Barry got a bad feeling. “Sonovabitch!” he mumbled.

He didn’t even hear Cisco and Caitlin call after him as he sped off.

***

Barry glared at the man in the room. “What is wrong with your rogues?!” he demanded. 

Len raised an eyebrow as he set aside his book. “Is there a problem?”

Barry was almost vibrating with anger. “Your rogues have been... been... **_feeding_** me!” he said accusingly.

Len smirked and braced his elbows on his knees. “And this is a problem?”

“You told them who I am! Of course it’s a problem!”

Len snorted and stood up. “I did not. Lisa did. Cisco is horrible at hiding evidence.”

“Why?” Barry whined. “We’re enemies! They aren’t supposed to feed me! Or change my cereal! Or improve my energy bars!”

“Would you rather they try to kill you?” the thief asked curiously.

Barry opened and closed his mouth twice before pouting. “Well, no.” He planted his hands on his hips. “But it’s weird!”

Len moved across the room until he was only a foot away from Barry. “They’re trying to court you,” he explained hesitantly.

Barry’s jaw dropped. “Wha... Court me?! That’s insane! They can’t court me! I’m their nemesis! Plus, eww!”

Len shrugged. “They’re not trying to seduce you for themselves. They’re trying to woo you for me. I only found out this morning when each one asked if I had spoken to you yet.”

Barry gave him a flabbergasted look. “Again, insane!” he managed to mutter, but with decidedly less heat than before. Unless you counted the heat creeping up his neck, that is.

Len sighed and rolled his eyes. “Look, I’ll talk to them. Explain that just because I may, possibly, have feelings for you doesn’t mean you have feelings for me. Best I can do, okay?”

When Barry didn’t say anything for several seconds, Len carefully looked back at him, worried about the reaction his admission would garner. Almost immediately he felt Barry’s lips press against his and those lean muscled arms wind around his neck. It only took him 1.7 seconds to begin kissing back.

***

Len looked over his shoulder as his crew walked into the safe house. Lisa, Mick, Mark and Hartley took off their shoes and walked into the kitchen to begin rummaging for food. 

“Barry dropped by,” he said calmly. “I promised I would tell you all to stop trying to win him over with food.”

Lisa looked at him sadly. “He wasn’t impressed?”

Mick frowned as he grabbed a beer and popped off the cap. “I was sure this would work. The kid loves food. Well, we’ll just try something else, boss.”

“No, you won’t,” Len ordered. 

“Come on, Cold,” Mardon said. “All that flirting you two do? The kid likes you! We’re sure of it. And you know you want him. You were almost dead. You deserve some happiness.”

Len finished making a twelfth chicken wrap and placed them on a plate. “I told you all this morning, and I’m saying it again, I do not need your help attracting anyone’s attention.”

Lisa snorted, but the two men wisely kept quiet. Len placed two bottles of water on the tray and picked it up. Lisa’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the tray. “You’re going to eat all of that?”

Len smirked, left the kitchen and walked straight back to his bedroom. A minute later the trio heard talking. Lisa quickly put a finger to her lips and motioned for the two men to follow her. They tiptoed down the hall and pressed their ears to the bedroom door.

“...tell them their plan was a waste of time?”

“Scarlet, you and I’ve been together for 13 months, one week and three days, not counting the six months I was technically dead, and never once managed a serious talk until they began trying to help.”

“Well, they did get you to admit this was more than just sex.”

“Barry, you and I have never been ‘just sex’. I may not say it, but you have to know I feel it. Those words... I don’t even say them to Lisa.”

“It’s never been just sex for me either. You know that, right?”

“I know. Now eat up. Enough talk about feelings. I want to get back to the sex part.”

“And you say I’m insatiable.”

“No. I say you’re addicting. How much longer until you can vibrate for me again?”

Lisa, Mick and Mark exchanged looks of equal parts horror and smugness. Then the bed on the other side of the door began to squeak and all three of them ran for the door. As happy as they were that Len and Barry were together, none of them wanted to actually hear them.

“Drinks?” Mick asked once they were outside.

“I’m in,” Mark said.

“I’m off to see Cisco,” Lisa told them. “I want to know why he never told me the Flash vibrates!”


End file.
